MINNEAPOLIS,
Minnesota(Contributed by David A. Shogren)
"While driving to Iowa from Duluth in 1972 we hit a major snowstorm
in Minneapolis. The Airport was close so we made the attempt to sleep
there. The "anti-sleeping" benches made it nearly impossible but
I did manage to cut all circulation off to my right arm for three hours
while in a semi-conscious state. Muzak, sweeping machines and bad coffee
made for a Kafka-esk experience. After awaking, I spent the next
several hours worrying about the possibility of amputation as I had no
feeling my arm. I still suffer some nerve damage and Raynaud's
Syndrome. Now, all these years later, a successful medical education
professional instead of a struggling student, I make it a point to never
fly Northworst. The former "Chamberlin Field" still has the same
torture chamber benches which makes it another great reason to avoid the
airport and the city. Rental car sleeping is a winner as long as it's warm
out and there is no concern about CO poisoning, The vibrating alarm on the
cell phone makes a great wake-up call. Probably the best sleep I ever got
was in a vehicle during a huge thunderstorm in St.Cloud. But that's
another story."